Bradenton top spot for retirees, magazine says

BRADENTON — The Friendly City continues to gain national attention as a great place to live, largely thanks to the vibrant, downtown arts scene.Selected by Where to Retire Magazine as a top retirement destination, Bradenton will be profiled in the July/August issue, available nationwide June 19.

The Houston-based publication launched in 1992 with the goal of helping its readers find the ideal place to retire.

“Boomers love the relaxing charm of Bradenton, and the residents live up to its motto – The Friendly City,” said Mary Lu Abbott, editor of Where to Retire, in a statement.

“Bradenton possesses qualities important to today’s retirees. They find plenty of action in the nationally recognized arts community, including the Manatee Players theater and the Village of the Arts, where they meet and mingle with dozens of artists living and working together in restored cottages.”

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She also notes that with the $6.2 million transformation of the Bradenton Riverwalk, scheduled for completion in October, the downtown entertainment scene “will get even livelier.”

Last month, AmericanStyle Magazine issued a statement that its survey participants voted Bradenton the second-best small city arts destination in the country, up from No. 10 last year and No. 22 in 2010.

“Bradenton, a sunny locale 45 miles south of Tampa, may not be on your radar for arts destinations yet, but it should be,” reads the opening sentence of the blurb on page 66 of the new summer edition of the Baltimore-based publication. “It’s home to Florida’s largest art colony, the Village of the Arts.”

Wade Tatangelo, features writer, can be reached at 745-7057. Follow Twitter.com/wtatangelo.